Search-call apparatus.



A. F. BOARDMAN.

SEARCH CALL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1912.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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HI L0 5 d um Mn Iiiiii A. F. BOARDMAN.

SEARCH CALL APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1912.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ARTHUR F. BOABDMAN, OF ARLINGTON, ETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'TO 'HIMSELF, AND ONE-HALF TO JAMES R. MURPHY; OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SEARCH-CALL PPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Septemberz26, 1912. Serial No. 722,452.

Search-Call Apparatus, of which the follpwv ing. is a specification.

This invention relates to signaling devices and particularly to a search callesystem the object of which is to provide means whereby a central operator may send distinctive signals simultaneously to a plurality of different signaling devices effectively disposedto cover a given territory for the purpose of locating a person whose exact whereabouts within that territory is unknown.

'In large factories or plants it is frequently the duty of those in responsible positions to leave I their offices or desks to visit other rooms, departments or buildings, and as it would be im ssible or inadvisable for them to leave behind any memorandum of where located. To perform this service I'employ at a central station a mechanism which permits theoperator to send any one of a group of signals through all the departments likely to be visited, each of the distant stations being equipped with a similar annunciator which will give notice, preferably to the car, so that only the party desired will respond.

In the simplification of my deviceI have provided double actin signal levers, by which I'am able to doub e the effective range of my sending apparatus without materiali increasing the size of the board or the res. of the operator.

The apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings which are to form part of this specificatiom'comprises a series of bells located at the various points to audibiy cover the given territory. They are electrically connected to the central operating station, and each is adapted to simultaneously and intermittently repeat the signal transmitted from the central station. The means of differentiating between these sig-' nals comprises a series of rotating disks, the peripheries of each being provided with a series of contact points or teeth such that each disk will repeat a different signal, as

individual is required whose call number is two, and so on through the series of digits "Patented Nair. 25,1913.

for instance two successive rings when that up to nine and when thenumber reaches two -i or more digits the call is divided as, is customa in fire alarms and other circuits.

In t e preferred .form of construction shown I have sought simplicityand co'm pactness of construction combined with ,the

greatest ease and accuracy of operation and have illustrated means whereby eacliicalling lever may transmit a mined signals. It is urther desirable and in fact necessary that no second calLmay be. 'made while the first is in operation, and I have therefore devised locking means which plurality of predeter;

operative. Of the plurality of signals which each handle is capable of transmitting, I have so devised the mechanism that it can send but one signal at a time, therefore no special locking mechanism would beneces sary except for the purpose oflockin'g the.

other handles which might otherwise befree to operate.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front ele- I l vation of my invention partly broken-away and showing the circuits in diagram. Fig. 2

is a cross section on the line 2-2 o f'Fig. 1.

F ig. 3 is an inside view of my locking mechanism. Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of Fig; i

3, Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional details show ing one lever in o crating position with the adjacent keys loc ed, and Fig. 7 is a detached detail of the governor lock.

The box 1 which contains th e signalin mechanism is provided with a door "2 hing at 3 on which is mounted a plate 4 provided 'witha series of openings-4 and t the for mer asst-i011 may be employed to hold a series of name plates indicative of the indi-- viduals on thecall list. The signaling circuits are each controlled through that hane dle 6 which is adjacent to the name-plate. The openingsi of the plate i register with correspondingopenings in the cover .2 to provide an aperturefor the operation of the signaling lever 5. The levers-5- are pivits three positions as will be later descri Directly above and below each lever 5 and slidably mounted in the plate 10 is a shortcylinder 11. within which has been firmly secured a bar 12, which bar extends within and through the plate 13 mounted upon the plate 10 by bolts 13. Springs 14 operate to maintain the sleeves 11 in the position shown in Fig. 2 as will be better understood by reference to Figs. 4 and 6; and each of the bars 12 is provided with a spring contact 15 adapted under certain conditions to electrically engage the teeth 16 on a series of signaling disks 16 and 16 said disks being fast upon a shaft 17 which is mounted upon a frame 18 which is secured to the plate 19 within the box 1 by bolts 18. The electrical contact before referred to causes the batlever 5 for retaining the handle 6 in any) (21f teries 20 and 20 to send periodical impulses through the wire 21 and the bells 22, which are mounted in a series thereon, the return wire being connected tothe plate 10 and .the wire 24 connecting the battery 20 and the frame 18 thereby completing the circuit.

The operation of the electrical contacts before referred to depends upon the rotation of the shaft 17 by a gear train turned by a motor spring 26. .The heavy motorspring 26 is mounted in the frame 18 on a spindle 27 and is retained by a ratchet 28 and a pawl 29 the handle 30 projecting through the top of the box providing means for windin the spring when required. The

gear 26 w ich is mounted with the spring 26 engages a pinion 33 on an auxiliary shaft 34, said shaft supporting a second gear 35 which through engagement with the pinion 36 on the shaft 17 causes the rotation of'the latter together with its series of disks 16 and 16 On the shaft 17 is also a' gear 37 engaging the pinion 38 on an auxiliary shaft 39 and another gear 40 on said shaft 39 engages a pinion 41 on the governor shaft 43 for rotating the ball governor 42. On the Shaft 43 is a fixed pin 44 (see Fig. 7) so positioned as to be engaged by a wire 45 which is connected to an armature 46 piv oted at 47 upon the frame of an electromagnet 49, and normally held away from said electromagnet by a leaf spring 48 (see Fig. 2). A second wire 60 connected to the same armature 46 has its free end adapted to engage a series of notches 62 on a disk 61 which is fast on the shaft 17. The wire 45 serves to control the governor 42 and the wire 60 serves to lock the motor mechanism against rotation.

The circuit which-is energized in order to operate the armature 46 is indicated in diagram Fig. 1 and comprises a wire 50 cut in between the two sections 20 and 20 of the battery and extending to a leaf spring 52 which with its mate 52 is mounted upon the plate 10. The springs 52 and 52 are insulated from the plate 10 and from each other. Contact between the free ends of the springs 52 and 52 being caused by the locking plate 55 whenever one of the handles 6 is thrown into either of its operative positions as will be later described. Connection between the leaf spring 52 and the eleetro-ma'gnet 49, is made by means of the wire 51 and a wire connection 53 completes the circuit to the wire 24 and the battery 20.

Referring to Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the method of operating the handle 6 will now be explained. Each of the bars 12 is provided with a series of shoulders 12 and 12 and an inclined cam surface 12 The plate 55'is provided with a series of openings 55 one for each bar 12, said openings being adapted under proper conditions to permit the passage therethrough of the corresponding bars 12. Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noticedthat any one of the bars 12 may be operated through its corresponding opening 55 such operation by reason of the inclined shoulder 12 causing a lateral movement of the plate 55 so as to lock that particular lever 12 against its shoulder 12 as is illustrated in Fig. 6. In tho-operation of my machine when any call is being made by the operation of one of the handles 6 all other calls are rendered impossible of operation until that particular handle is brought to its normal or central position as shown in Fig. 2. The locking plate 55 secures this result upon each movement to either of the operating positions of the levers 5, and the detents 5 0n the lever 5 operat ing in conjunction with the sprin bar 8 serve to maintain thehandle 6 in elther of its two operative positions or in its neutral position. In Fig. 5, 50119 of the operating positions of a lever 5 is clearly shown, its projecting flange 5 having forced one of the cylinders 11 and bars 12 inward against the action of the spring 14 thereby carrying its contact spring 15 not into contact with its disk 16 itself, but in such a position that upon the rotation of the said disk 16 the successive teeth 16 will form an electrical contact with said spring bar and cause a series of intermittent impulses to be sent through all of the bells 22. As soon as the plate 55 has been moved laterally by the operation of'any one of the handles 6 an electrical contact between the spring plates 52 and 52 is made, thus closing the shunt circuit through the electro-magnet 49 and operating the armature 46, thereby withdrawing the wire 45 from the path of the pin 44, (see Fig. 7) and the wire 60 from' the notch 62 in the disk 61 which it has been occupying, thus allowing the shaft 17 to be rotated by the spring 26 and to bring the teeth 16 of the particular disk 16 which is opposite the spring contact 15 into position so as to send the desired impulse through the main circuit.

In Fig. 5 the teeth 16" are engaged to send the call nine through its circuit, it being lllldtl'rttltfll that each disk 16 and 16 has its own individual call and its own individual spring contact 15 and that each handle is adapted to operate two spring contacts and one each of the disks l6 and it), which latter may be said to form a pair.

The handle (5 once thrown, as seen in l igs. 5 and ti, will remain in that position and continue to send repeated signals through the bells E22, first, because of the continued rotation of the shalt l7 and second, because the actuation of the armature 4G by the elcctron'iagnct 40 is permitted by the continual closing of the shunt circuit.

Each of the local signal stations may be provided with a switch or other form of cir cuit for breaking the main circuit, thus notifying the home operator who will then return the handle (3 to its central or neutral position. This breaks the shunt circuit and causes the wires and 30 to enter into their locking en agement with the motor train. The leaf spring 56 acting in conjunction with the stud 55 and posts (see Fig. 3) serves to return the plate to its normal position when the handle 6 is again thrown into mid-position. Although the inclined back of the shoulder .12 on the bar 12 would indeed serve to return this plate 55, I find that. in practice that it is necessary that this plate 55 should under normal conditions be so positioned as to direct the operation of any of the bars 12, and if it were not for the spring 56 it would be quite apparent that the extreme accuracy and adjustment which would then be required to prevent some one of the shoulders 12 of the bar 12 from engaging the plate 55 before the oper ation of its respective handle (3 would be extremely ditlicult of attainment.

Various modifications in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as well as variation in the wiring of the circuits may obviously be made, all without departing from the spirit of my invention it within the limits of the appended claims.

\Vhat I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a signal system of the class described, a plurality of difl'erentiatcd rotary contact disks arranged in pairs, a plurality of sliding contact points, a plurality of operating levers associated with said sliding contacts to move either of the contact points of a pair into engagement with said disks, means r I l l l l l i l l l l l l l l i It for locking all of the remaining levers upon the operation of any one of said levers, a normally effective locking mechanism for the contact devices, and a release for said locking mechanism operable upon the movement of said operating means.

2. A signaling device comprising a frame, a plurality of rotatable members having groups of contact points, a motor operatively associated With said members to r0- tate them, a plurality of pairs of contacts movable into the path of said points, and an operating lever pivoted between the contacts of each pair and efiective to move either one or the other of said contacts when rocked in one or the other direction.

A signaling device comprising a frame, a plurality of rotatable members having groups of contact points, a motor opera lively associated with said members to rotate them, a plurality of pairs of contacts movable into the path-of said points, an operating lever pivoted between the contacts of each pair and eli'ective to move either one or the other of said contacts when rocked in one or the other direction, and a normally efl ective locking device to prevent rotation of said members and a release for said lock operable upon the movement of any one of said contacts.

t. A ignaling device comprising a frame, a plurality of rotatable members having groups of contact points, a motor operatively associated with said members to 1'0- tate them a plurality of pairs of contacts movable into the path of said points, an operating lever pivoted between the contacts of each pair and effective to move either one or the other of said contacts when rocked in one or the other direction, a sliding locking plate adapted to be moved by any one of said levers and interengaging abntments on said plates and levers for preventing the movement of the rest of thelevers after one lever has been moved to slide. the plate.

5. In a signaling device a plurality of pairs of movable contacts, an operating lever pivoted between the cont-acts of each pair and ctl'cctive to move either one or the other of said contacts when rocked in one or the other direction, and a locking device to prevent the movement of the rest of said contacts upon the operating movement of any one of said levers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR F. BOARDMAN.

Witnesses VICTORIA LOWDEN,

VERA E. Fees. 

